He was a nine-term member of the United States House of Representatives, serving as a Republican from 1983 until his death from natural causes in Leesburg, Virginia in 2000.

After graduation, he briefly taught at Hampton High School from 1949 to 1951, when he commissioned in the United States Air Force as a first lieutenant during the Korean War.

He served a short time as a clerk for the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. before practicing law privately in Newport News from 1968 to 1983.

Bateman served as president of the Virginia Jaycees and National legal counsel for the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Bateman's voting record was moderate by Southern Republican standards; he had a lifetime rating of 79 from the American Conservative Union.

He also served his constituents as a member of organizations such as the Virginia Jaycees, Peninsula United Way and Red Cross Blood Donor Program.

His son, Herbert H. Bateman Jr., presently serves on the Newport News City Council as Vice Mayor and on the Peninsula Airport Commission.